Pleasant Hill woman, 62, not slowing down as she trains for CrossFit Games
A 62-year-old East Bay woman is going back to the CrossFit Games for the 8th time.
Yvonne Howard of Pleasant Hill has been CrossFitting for nearly two decades. The goal is to keep her body fit and capable so she can continue to be healthy as she ages.
"I feel like I'm doing my sport in reverse," Howard said about pursuing athletics in her later years. "I should have did this when I was young."
In her 60s, Howard is lifting weights and doing workouts that would intimidate some people who are half her age. She works out five times a week, but also puts in the time outside the gym.
Howard meal preps, mobilizes, and gets bodywork done at Beyond Chiropractic in Walnut Creek.
"What you just saw with Dr. Mory, I have to do that," Howard said about the maintenance work on her body. "She stays on top of everything. She'll find things that are wrong and work it out. But I feel like you have to give as much time to your body as you are working out. If you're going to do an hour of hard training, you have to do an hour of giving it back to your body."
In addition to competing as a CrossFit athlete, Howard is also the owner of Diablo CrossFit in Pleasant Hill.
"I think being a gym owner keeps me going." she said "It's part of my business to be fit and to set an example."
Howard says as one get older, there are more challenges, but she doesn't worry about getting injured while CrossFitting.
"No, I never worry about getting hurt," Howard said. "The only thing I worry about is falling down. When you're in your 60s, because my eyesight is so bad, I jump up to the pullup bar and sometimes I missed t."
Howard completed semifinals to qualify for the CrossFit Games. She finished top 20 in the world in her age group.
Her husband, Craig Howard, won the CrossFit Games in the 50-54 year old age group in 2013.
"My husband has been on the podium so it's kinda a goal of mine," she said.
CrossFit is a fitness program that involves weightlifting, endurance, and gymnastics movements. Howard will compete at the CrossFit Games in Birmingham, Alabama, from August 29 through September 1.